Tape drive storage is one of the oldest, most reliable forms of data storage for computing devices. As hard disk drives have become more reliable, faster, able to store more data, and relatively inexpensive, hard disk drives have become the preferred form of storage for individual computing devices. Server computers and even some personal computers (PCs) are now commercially available which support redundant array of independent disks (RAID) for automatic data redundancy.
However, tape drives continue to have a place in the marketplace for data backup/restore operations. For example, many computer users are comfortable with the software used for data backup/restore operations on tape drives. Accordingly, stand-alone “virtual” tape drive devices have been developed which provide a conventional tape drive interface to the user while actually storing the data on a hard disk drive.
However, this is a hardware intensive solution. Hard disk drive storage is still necessary and now the stand-alone virtual tape drive device needs to be added for backup/restore operations. Each requires their own hardware and drivers to interface with the computing device. The stand-alone nature of these virtual tape drive devices can increase overall system cost and introduces points of failure, while making inefficient use of the available hard disk drive storage.